South Canterbury Kindergartens has sought further clarification from the Ministry of Education regarding the changes to food in lunchboxes.

Earlier in the week I sent a communication to you regarding the new Ministry of Health food recommendations for early childhood sent to us by the Ministry of Education (MOE). These were sent to all early childhood providers in New Zealand in response to the incidents of choking in recent years.

I questioned the MOE because in reading further communication from them, it was difficult to determine whether they were a legal requirement or recommended guidelines. The MOE have since replied and I have been told that the new requirements are “not legally enforceable but are highly recommended and should be established as best practice”. The MOE would want us as an organisation to include the changes in our Food and Drink procedure and therefore ensure everyone complies. The MOE person went on to say that while the changes might create some inconvenience for parents preparing lunchboxes, adhering to the requirements/guidelines is preferable to having a child choke.

It is also worth pointing out that there are different recommendations for children aged 0-3 and less stringent guidelines for 4-6 year olds. Clearly there is less risk of choking as the child gets older.

So where does this leave us as teachers and you as parents? We are strongly recommending that you adhere to the new recommendations to ensure there is no risk of your child choking but our teachers will not become the ‘food police’. Essentially we will be promoting and encouraging the adoption of the new recommendations without enforcing them. Teachers do not want to be in a position of compromising the very good relationships they have with families.

Dave Hawkey

General Manager, South Canterbury Kindergartens